Nostalgia & History > U.S. Army at Bayshore Roundhouse.

Photo #1 - It is 1943 and America is fighting on two fronts. At nearby Fort Mason in San Francisco the U.S. Army's little Whitcomb #7661 was sent to SP's Bayshore Roundhouse for needed repairs. Notice the required headlight shrouds on the tenders of 4-6-0s SP2366 and SP2367 on the left, and on the tender of 2-8-2 SP3214 on the right. Photo by Bob Kennedy.

Photo #2 - Here's another location I was very familiar with. Alco S-2 #1367 rests between assignments on one of the South San Francisco yard tracks, next to the entrance to Bethlehem Steel's South San Francisco plant - a place I worked at for 15 months in 1966-67. The tall structure to the left of SP1367 is a rigging platform used to erect structural steel pieces for testing. It was later relocated to another spot about a 1/4-mile from this location and served the same purpose. To the right of the diesel can be seen the large Bethlehem Steel Plant billboard leading to the road entrance. When I worked there the area in front of the billboard was landscaped with shrubbery and grass. On slow days I used to lay out on the lawn and watch the parade of FM "Train Masters", H-12-44s, and ALCO RR-32s. It's all gone now. The plant site is now the site of light industrial businesses and office buildings.

The steel plant used to have narrow gauge steamers switch the furnaces. The two-stall engine house was still there when I worked there, although it housed electrical equipment. The rails were still visible on the concrete floor.

Photo #3 - I'm not sure where this photo was taken. It is Baldwin VO-1000 built for SP in 1941. Under that long hood was a straight-eight cylinder prime mover. I think this group were the only Baldwin-Westinghouse diesel-electrics built with transition. Coupled behind the cab is the front what appears to be SP 2-8-0 #2663.